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Oct 19, 2017

Interview: The Lovely Eggs

‘Eventually we’ll probably come home and start weaving balaclavas out of spider’s tears,’ says Holly from The Lovely Eggs when asked what’s next for the band.

Surreal by name, surreal by interview answer, the husband and wife duo have been turning out their weird and wonderful mishmash of punk rock psychedelia since forming in 2006, and have stayed dedicated to absurdity ever since.

Fuzzy anthems like Magic Onion, Goofin’ Around (In Lancashire) and the undeniable mantra-maker of Fuck It have seen the pair sell out venues across the country — and all without the help of management, booking agents or record label support, thank you very much.

Described by the NME as ‘one of the country’s most beloved underground bands’, their infectious abandon has garnered strong support from BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6, with six sessions stacking up for the latter and DJ Marc Riley declaring Goofin’ Around (in Lancashire) and Drug Bragginamong his official top tracks of 2015 and 2016.

Back on the road this October, the tour will see them debut much anticipated new material from their new album. Titled This Is Eggland (what else), it was produced by legendary engineer Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev).

Excited to hear the new tracks, we chat to Holly ahead of the tour and find out what bands she’s currently obsessing over, how living in ‘weird’ Lancaster inspires them, and the Eggs’ ever evolving sound…

What was the first song you developed an obsession for?

Probably the first song that I got an actual obsession over was the music from Beverly Hills Cop. I used to get a cassette recorder next to the telly and play the film on VHS and tape the music bits on my cassette recorder and then hit pause on the tape deck when any talking came in! I patched together about a minutes worth of song that way. I was SO obsessed with that tune!! Dur dur dur dur dur dur dur dur dur dur dur dur dur dur dur dur dur dur dur dur dur duhhhhhhh!!!

What’s the first gig you went to?

Well, dunno whether you’d call it a gig but the first musical performance I ever saw was going to see Keith Harris and Orville in Blackpool with my cousin when I was about eight. After that I went to see New Kids On The Block when I was about 12. But my first “proper” gig I would say, was going to see Hole at Manchester Academy.

What’s the first instrument you ever got hold of?

Piano I think. Although I hated playing it. My cousin also had an amazing miniature microphone that plugged into a tape deck that I was pretty obsessed with.

What is your worst musical habit?

Not practicing. Just can’t be bothered.

What’s the best piece of musical advice you’ve ever been given?

Ignore any musical advice anyone ever gives you! I’m down with the punk rock ethos of anyone can and should give it a go! Music should have no rules. Virtuoso instrument playing is NOT an indication of how good you or your band are. Just do what you want and don’t listen to the bullshit!

Where do you discover new music?

Marc Riley and Gideon Coe on BBC Radio 6 Music have turned me onto some pretty good stuff. That and recommendations from friends. A lot of music now though is very bland and boring. The underground is where it’s at for the good stuff.

What’s your favourite venue?

This is a hard one cos we’ve played so many over the years. But if I had to pick I’d probably say The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds.

Who is your current favourite band/artist?

I’ve been listening to quite a bit of Wand lately. Also really like the new album by Thee Oh Sees. Also the new track by Mush is amazing. Best track of 2017 in my book.

What inspirations outside of music impact your songwriting?

Oh just the magic and mundane-ness of everyday life. We live in Lancaster which is a bit like Twin Peaks. The Pendle witches were hanged here and even today they’re turning lunatic asylums into luxury flats and putting men in prison for feeding ready meals to pigeons. It’s nuts really. So that gives us a lot of inspiration for our songs, just living in this weird place! Also the author Richard Brautigan has been a big influence on us. Just the way he approaches his writing really. He always kind of looked for the magic in his own everyday surroundings and made normal life magnificent through his own kaleidoscopic vision and I think that’s a really great way of trying to get through life.

What track of yours best represents your sound?

Probably something like Magic Onion. When we first started 10 years ago our sound was a lot lighter. We even had some acoustic songs on our first album. Now we’ve gone a lot heavier and possibly more psychedelic. I think all our albums are weird but the sound has definitely gone heavier. Magic Onion probably encapsulates our new sound best. Listen to that and that’s roughly what we sound like now. If you start off with our early albums yer gunna be in for a shock! And we probably sound different on our new album! But that’s part of being in a band for 10+ years — you get bored of sounding the same way, so you want to try new things and change and make it interesting for yourself, so you are always capturing that joyous excitement of that being in a new band feeling with every album. Even though you’ve been going for donkeys!

What’s next for you?

We’ll we’re releasing our new single I Shouldn’t Have Said That on 3 November. It’s the first single off our new album which we’ve just finished making with Dave Fridmann at his studio in America. It’s the best one we’ve ever done! Then we’re off on a UK tour in October/November. The new album comes out early next year and we’ll be battering the UK with another round of touring, a BBC Radio 6 Music session and other bits. Might go to SXSW and do some American stuff. Then eventually we’ll probably come home and start weaving balaclavas out of spider’s tears.